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Dr Liz O'Riordan

Dr Liz O'Riordan, Author and Breast Cancer Awareness Advocate

Dr. Liz O'Riordan is an author, campaigner and former consultant breast surgeon who has been diagnosed with breast cancer three times herself. She offers a unique perspective that bridges the gap between medical expertise and patient experience. Throughout her career, Liz has been recognised for her contributions to breast cancer awareness and patient care. She was awarded the Humanitarian Award from Future Dreams Charity in 2024 for her advocacy work.

Coverage: Health

MOST RECENT ARTICLES FROM DR LIZ O'RIORDAN

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This is the terrifying truth about alternative cancer therapies - and what happened when I encountered the 'coaches' peddling the treatments that can cost young women like Paloma their lives: LIZ O'RIORDAN

29/06/25 10:43

The message, from a stranger on Instagram , absolutely broke me. 'Dear Liz,' it began, 'I need to tell you about a friend with advanced breast cancer . She has spent thousands on restrictive diets and supplements, instead of having surgery and chemotherapy.' As a former breast surgeon who has had breast cancer three times, I'm used to people telling me about personal medical matters. I now write and speak regularly about the disease, trying to share evidence-based advice and help others navigate the minefield of misinformation online. But as I kept reading, I felt a growing sense of dread....read

I had breast cancer THREE times before I finally learnt that everything I thought I knew about diet was wrong. Now I want you to avoid making the mistakes I did
26/01/25 02:26
Before my breast cancer diagnosis, my diet was... if not terrible, pretty close to it. I was a trainee breast surgeon either working long hours, fuelled by Red Bull, out drinking with colleagues or sleeping.
- 448 comments
- 229 shares
Top breast cancer expert reveals only diet change that guards against breast cancer...as disease continues to soar in under 50s
28/12/24 09:27
As a breast surgeon who was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 40, I feel strongly about raising awareness of lifestyle factors that could reduce risk of the disease.
- 566 comments
- 371 shares
As new research reveals women with mental health struggles are twice as likely to die of the disease... I survived breast cancer but was floored by depression and just six sessions of CBT saved my life
14/04/24 12:30
Dr Liz O'Riordan (pictured) has been floored by depression since her first cancer diagnosis. She was drawn to an article in a medical journal that said depression 'significantly impacts' survival rates.
- 87 comments
- 178 shares
'I'm a surgeon who's survived breast cancer - here's what women need to know about having a mastectomy and how ops to rebuild breasts can leave them looking and feeling natural,' writes DR LIZ O'RIORDAN
25/11/23 10:10
DR LIZ O'RIORDAN: The day before the surgery that would leave me flat-chested, I found myself crying in a department store as I looked at all the bras that wouldn't fit me.
- 19 comments
- 120 shares
Why are so many women under 40 being struck by breast cancer? Two of Britain's top experts, DR LIZ O'RIORDAN and DR ALICIA HEATH assess the evidence
23/09/23 09:01
DR LIZ O'RIORDAN and DR ALICIA HEATH: Nicky Newman, 35, who died last week following a five-year battle with breast cancer, was one of the 2,400 diagnosed each year with the disease.
- 212 comments
- 213 shares
LIZ O'RIORDAN: I felt a lump under my skin and knew my breast cancer was back for a third time - but it CAN be cured
05/08/23 09:15
DR LIZ O'RIORDAN: I noticed it in the mirror four weeks ago while drying my hair after a shower. A little red mark on my chest, just to the left of my scar. I could have sworn it wasn't there the day before.
- 35 comments
- 124 shares
'While we were operating, male surgeons often asked me: Who did you sleep with last night?' Former surgeon Liz O'Riordan endured years of appalling sexual harassment in NHS hospitals - epitomised by this shocking anecdote in her new book
08/07/23 11:47
LIZ O'RIORDAN: This was far from the first crude comment I'd heard from a medic - and it certainly would not be the last.
- 110 comments
- 26 shares
DR LIZ O'RIORDAN: A month before this photo was taken, I was on the brink of suicide after battling severe depression most of my life
01/07/23 09:15
LIZ O'RIORDAN: I want to talk about something I've kept hidden for years. Shame and embarrassment stopped me revealing anything about this, until now.
- 8 comments
- 60 shares
DR LIZ O'RIORDAN: 'As a breast cancer surgeon, who has had the disease twice, I dealt with death all the time... but nothing prepared me for losing Mum'
25/03/23 10:00
DR LIZ O'RIORDAN: On December 4 last year, I was with my wonderful mum, Isobel Ball, when she died in hospital. It was just six months after she had been diagnosed with bone cancer.
- 2 comments
- 1369 shares
I'll admit it, I used to drink like a fish... and I can't help but wonder if it contributed to my breast cancer diagnosis at 40
28/01/23 10:01
DR LIZ O'RIORDAN: A few weeks back I filmed a series of videos on how alcohol increases breast cancer risk. As many give up booze for Dry January, I thought it would be a good time to do it.
- 2 comments
- 171 shares
How Magnum ice creams, chip butties and a new army of Twitter fans are helping my Mum face cancer, writes DR LIZ O'RIORDAN on the new lessons she's learned, after facing the disease twice herself
01/10/22 09:01
DR LIZ O'RIORDAN: In March, my mum Isobel (left) noticed a small swelling on the back of her upper right arm. It wasn't sore, perhaps a bit tender. I (right)... decided she'd probably pulled a muscle.
- 11 comments
- 26 shares
Why I'm deeply concerned by claims that after recovery from breast cancer it's mostly safe to take HRT, by former breast cancer surgeon LIZ O'RIORDAN
16/07/22 09:39
LIZ O'RIORDAN: Women like me are generally advised by their doctors that HRT is off the table, for good reason: because it can increase the risk of the breast cancer coming back.
DR LIZ O'RIORDAN: Why we SHOULDN'T give young women the breast cancer gene test backed by Julia Bradbury
28/05/22 09:01
DR LIZ O'RIORDAN: If we do flag up all women with a slightly increased risk and offer them regular mammograms from the age of 30, it could do more harm than good?
- 91 comments
- 26 shares
CPR is brutal, undignified... and few survive it. That's why I've had Do Not Resuscitate written on my medical notes, writes former cancer surgeon Liz O'Riordan
26/03/22 10:01
LIZ O'RIORDAN: In 80 per cent of cases where CPR is successful, the patient never leaves hospital. Two-thirds of them die within a few days.
From chilling my pillow to using a child's toothbrush ...how I coped with chemotherapy, by former breast cancer surgeon LIZ O'RIORDAN
29/01/22 10:00
LIZ O'RIORDAN: In 2015, aged 40, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo chemo myself. And I realised, even as a doctor, I'd had no idea what my patients had been going through.
Alexandra Shulman's cancer symptoms are incredibly rare: Breast cancer surgeon Dr Liz O'Riordan reassures women that the mammary pain does not normally lead to a cancer diagnosis
11/12/21 10:01
Consultant breast cancer surgeon Dr Liz O'Riordan said women reporting pain in the breast such as Alexandra Shulman and Sarah Harding with no other symptoms are incredibly rare.
- 1 comment
- 2 shares
Surgeon LIZ O'RIORDAN has twice defeated breast cancer and now she wants to share advice on how women can check themselves
09/10/21 09:01
Consultant surgeon Liz O'Riordan, has developed videos for women to show them how they can examine their breasts effectively for early signs of a malignant tumour.
Sarah Harding believed she was dying because she put off going to the doctor. The truth is the Girls Aloud singer was just bloody unlucky, says breast cancer surgeon LIZ O'RIORDAN who's had the disease twice
11/09/21 09:04
This idea that every cancer death is potentially preventable is a myth and it simply makes patients blame themselves, says LIZ O'RIORDAN, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, aged 40.
The Warrior: Inspiring story of consultant breast surgeon LIZ O'RIORDAN five years on from losing her career, her breast and ovaries to the disease she dedicated her life to curing
05/12/20 10:01
LIZ O'RIORDAN: Two photographs, taken five years apart. Both are of the same woman. Each tells a strikingly different story. And looking at them both I still find it hard to believe that woman is me.
- 12 comments
- 1506 shares
You CAN have a good death in hospital, insists top surgeon who argues it needn't be the undignified end many fear
18/07/20 09:01
LIZ O'RIORDAN: If you're anything like me, you probably spend a fair bit of time wondering where to go on holiday or where to go for a nice walk. But do you ever consider where you want to die?
- 7 comments
- 300 shares
Breast cancer doesn't mean the end of your sex life... says the surgeon who has had the disease herself - TWICE
09/02/19 10:00
Talking about sex is difficult at the best of times – and particularly when things aren’t going right. Most of us will be reluctant to bring it up with our partner, let alone a doctor, writes LIZ O'RIORDAN.
Ten vital things every woman needs to know about breast cancer... revealed with honesty (and humour) by a breast surgeon who's had it twice
08/09/18 09:07
You may have to cope with an altered body image and a treatment-induced menopause, but don’t let cancer take away your physical connection, says Dr Liz O'Riordan, who was diagnosed in 2015.

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